Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 1.djvu/239

 PHILLIP AND EXPLORATION. 1»5 work to examine its capabilities as a harbour ; and then, 1788 taming his attention to the land, he endeavoured to satisfy himself as to its suitability for a settlement. A yery slight inspection of the surrounding country was enough to con- Exgoration vince him that a better site would have to be sought for at B^y. once. Point Sutherland was the only place that could be found for the purpose in the bay, but the ground about it was spongy, and swamps would necessarily prove unhealthy. To save time— mindful, no doubt, of Sydney's imperious injunction not to ^' delay the disembarkation of the estab- lishment upon the pretence of seeking a more eligible place than Botany Bay'' — ^instructions were given to have the ground cleared for landing, and he then sailed away in an open boat, regardless of his dignity as a Govemor-in-Chief, for the nearest bay to the north, of which he knew nothing Broken Bay. beyond what he had read about it in Cook's Voyage.* If Phillip had reason to congratulate himself on the good fortune which had so far attended his voyage, his heart must have rejoiced within him when his boats, after entering the heads of Port Jackson, began to work their way through its waters. As he passed from cove to cove, carefully ex- amining each to ascertain its fitness for the site of a settle- ment, he no doubt experienced much the same sensations as the long-forgotten Portuguese navigator, Martin de Souza, when he discovered the other great harbour of the world — that of Rio de Janeiro — ^in 1631. Phillip, it is true, wodc . -m* Janeiro. could not make any claim to the honour of being the dis- coverer as well as the explorer of Port Jackson ; but he was the first European to gaze upon its waters and make them known to the world. Unfortunately, however, he left no record of his impressions as the novelty and grandeur of the scenery were displayed before him. In his despatch • The bay referred to was not Port Jackson, as generally supposed, but Broken Bay. " The day after my arrival, the Governor, accompanied by me and two other officers, embarked in three boats, and proceeded along the coast to the northward, intending, if we could, to reach what OaptMo Cook has called Broken Bay.'*— Hunter, Journal, p. 42 ; post, p. 268 n. Digitized by Google